Smashed Chickpea Salad

During the week I eat a mostly vegetarian/vegan diet so I’m always looking for new and exciting lunch recipes. Hummus and carrots can get boring, let me tell you. So I was overjoyed when I found this recipe on Simply Veganista, a blog I love skimming for new vegan recipes. This salad is so easy to make, and it’s great to have on-hand for lunches throughout the week. I definitely recommend using the tahini–it gives it a delicious hummus-y kick. Yep, we just turned hummus-y into a word.

I like mine on two pieces of toast with thick slices of avocado, but as the Veganista blog states, it’s good on just about anything! I’ve gone as far to eat it with just a fork. See below for my riff on the recipe and I can’t wait to hear how you make it your own!

Ingredients:

1 can 15 oz chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup celery, small diced

1/2 cup carrots, small diced

1/3 cup scallions, sliced

1/4 cup tahini

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

Sea salt & cracked pepper, to taste

Dash of garlic powder

Juice of 1 lemon

For sandwich:

Half sliced avocado

2 pieces of toast

Spinach or another leafy green

Extra mustard, optional

Directions:

First drain and thoroughly rinse chickpeas. Place them in a medium bowl and roughly mash them with a potato masher. A fork will work if you don’t have an old school masher. Add the remaining ingredients and combine. You’re done!

To serve a la Rachel, spread a good amount of the salad on a piece of toast. Top with sliced avocado, spinach